The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-01-07
THE TOWN OF lie MARS.
AN IOWA COLONY OF ENGLISH
MEN DESCRIBED BY HERMAN.
Striking Individuality Of the Place.
Teaching AristOcrats Farming at 5000
Year-Days Of Anarchy and Blood.
s.,cd-SOme "Reminiscences.
TSyec!al Correspondence.1

NEW YOEE, Jan. Al have lived In many
communities in my time, but in none that
p, sscsscd a more striking individuality than
lie Mprs, the English colony located in north
western Iowa, twenty five miles east of Sioux
City.
Picturesquely situated on the banks Of the
Floyd river and surrounded by seemingly
limtlcss prairie, its spires and housetops can
be seen for distance of thirty miles on any
of he bright, clear, wonderful days that
make the climate of imperial Iowa the most
pleasant in the world.
The Duke of Sutherland, travelling through
the west when Ls Mars was nameless shanty
settlement. saw the potentialities of the place,
and bought g, 900 acres of land in the vicin-
ity A little later London syndicate Of fab
ulous wealth purchased great tracts Of terri
tory in the county, and advertised its advan-
tages throughout England. The present col
ony was the result, colony consisting Of
several ful-Aedged lords, whole raft of the
younger sons of British noblemen, and many
representatives of the middle classes, with u
small sprinkling of what is known as the
peasantry.
The more substantial members of the col
ony bought farms of the syndicate built
handsome farm houses and undertook the
cultivation of the soil. They certainly intro
duccd new methods in that direction-meth-
ot!s that made the average American look on
with curious smile. To illustrate: CAPTAIN
tho Honorable So-anCi-t'o advertised'in the
English papers that he would teach thirty
young men the science of farming for the
SUM of el2o $500 each year. The result
was that tho farm of Captain the Honorable
was soon supplied with aristocratc laborers.
Wealthy young men from the middle classes
also t1oclled over to take advantage of similar
offers, until L. Mars had at least 800 agricul-
turists in its vicinity who couldn't tell plow
from pumpkin.
Then the fun began. The boys would do
little dlibs of work, and make up for it by
coming to town and painting it ripe, star
ing red Many of them were spendthrifts;
money flowed like water, and LIE Mars began
to boom. Fine business blocks sprung up as if
by magic; immigration pour, d in, and the
town became the center of commerce for
vast area of country.
But it had dark days with which to con-
tend when the lawless element gained the up
per hand It was during this period of an
archy that thirty-one attempts were
made, inside of year, to lay the
town in ashes Who was the firebugs
Suspicion finally conferred upon member
of one of the Oldest families of the aristoc-
racy-a young man whose father at that time
held position second to that of no judge in
England. The young man was arrested,
tried, acquitted, and then distinguished him
self by marrying woman of the pave and
becoming well digger by profession.
LIE Mars is celebrated for its horse races
and other outdoor sports. 1t has its regular
Derby week, when the English take complete
possession OF the town. Hundreds Of men
can be seen in jockey caps, flaming scarlet,
shirts and black knickerbockers, on high
lnettled horses. English ladies drive through
its streets in queer little carts, or, if on foot,
they invariably carry canes, and are fol
lowed by parcel of dogs, generally greY-S
hounds. The English flag floats everywhere,
English airs are footed and drummed in all /
directions, and the English accent is heard on
every hand. WILL HUBBARD HERMAN.